Posted on 02/22/2008 11:42:36 PM PST by Kurt Evans
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee met with conservative Christian leader James Dobson Friday as he vied to pick up the Colorado delegates pledged to Mitt Romney, who dropped out of the race. Huckabee's visit comes two weeks after Dobson endorsed him for president.
"Personally it was a great encouragement," Huckabee said of the endorsement. "I think it also was an extraordinary boost for our campaign because Dr. Dobson is seen as such a true national leader when it comes to issues of life, marriage and family."
Huckabee is an ordained Baptist minister and a former governor of Arkansas. His campaign has been kept alive in part by support from conservative Christians who don't want to back Arizona Sen. John McCain.
Appearing without Dobson at a podium on a lawn outside the campus of Focus on the Family, Huckabee declined to describe what he and his friend of 14 years discussed.
Huckabee, who was in Colorado Springs to speak Friday night to the conservative group, Leadership Program of the Rockies, said the meeting was "personal" in nature and "not a meeting that I was having with him in his capacity as the leader of Focus on the Family."
Although Huckabee said Dobson's backing has helped him, he doubts the Focus on the Family founder will be campaigning for him.
"I think it would be very difficult for him to go on the campaign trail," Huckabee said. "I did not ask for that, and I would not expect that."
Through a spokesman, Dobson also declined to describe the conversation and cautioned against reading into why he didn't appear with Huckabee.
"This was a long-planned private conversation between two friends and Dr. Dobson wanted to keep it that way," said Gary Schneeberger, a Dobson spokesman. "It's certainly not meant to temper his support of the governor."
He said Dobson would not comment on a private meeting. Schneeberger also said Dobson was sensitive to IRS rules that restrict tax-exempt groups like Focus on the Family from getting involved in politics. When Dobson endorses political candidates, he emphasizes he is speaking as an individual and not for the group.
Many political observers believe Huckabee, with 254 delegates, doesn't have a chance of catching McCain, who has 958 delegates of the 1,191 needed to win the nomination. Romney, who dropped out of the race earlier this month after picking up 280 delegates, has endorsed McCain.
That hasn't discouraged Huckabee.
"There's 46 delegates at stake in Colorado that could be mine," Huckabee told dozens of cheering supporters.
Dick Wadhams, Colorado chair of the Republican Party, said that that the Feb. 5 caucus—where Huckabee came in third after Romney and McCain—was a "preference poll" and that delegates are still up for grabs.
Huckabee also commented about a New York Times article Thursday alleging that McCain's staffers were concerned about a relationship with a female lobbyist during his first presidential run eight years ago. McCain and the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, have denied they had a romantic relationship.
"My only experience with (McCain) as a fellow candidate the past 14 months is a positive one," Huckabee said. "I see him as a man of integrity. He's denied the allegations in the New York Times article. I have no reason to doubt him."
Mimi Hailes, 50, of Colorado Springs has been working on Huckabee's campaign in Colorado and it was thrill to meet him and see him person.
"I told him that I've been praying for him and that I pray for him every day," Hailes said. "I'm very hopeful that he's still going to be our candidate."
The cheerful, lighthearted Huckabee cracked some jokes with his supporters and talked about his upcoming guest appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, saying that if he couldn't make it they might get Brad Pitt to portray him.
“He said his “question” knowing full well it would get top billing. It’s a cheap trick to wonder out loud to a reporter about another’s religion and then play it off as an honest inquiry. “
A journalist and a founding editor of the ‘Jerusalem Report magazine’, and author of ‘American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man’s Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance’ Hardcover, on a two hour drive with an ex preacher governor running against a field that included a member of the Mormon family.
It would be shocking if many questions of that nature had not come up, now that Romney is fading into memory, think about silly it was to make that out to be something earth-shattering.
Huckabee asked a question that he knew the answer to. It was a cheap shot as far as intention goes.
Tell me of what value was it for Huckabee to wonder out loud about another candidates religion?
This guy is like that energizer bunny that everyone hated back in the 80’s. Can this guy just go away. No I am not a McCain fan since he went Global Warming, but the last person we need is the Huckster.
After Huckster screwed Romney in West Virginia, I hope Romney tells him to go f himself.
“Huckabee asked a question that he knew the answer to. It was a cheap shot as far as intention goes.”
Nobody seems to know the answer to that question, and the question was about satan and Jesus.
If it was so silly and you declare so strongly that another man (that you don’t know) knew the answer, then tell me that simple answer.
“After Huckster screwed Romney in West Virginia, I hope Romney tells him to go f himself.”
Those were McCain delegates, they followed their candidates instructions, how shocking, Huckabee was not involved in receiving them.
Romney sent his delegates to McCain, McCain was not required to do anything to accept that strategic gift.
McCain gave instructions, Romney gave instructions.
“After Huckster ******* Romney in West Virginia ...”
That sounds like one of Sean Hannity’s mindless whines. You seem to be suggesting that when McCain told his supporters to vote for Governor Huckabee, Governor Huckabee should have told his supporters to vote for Romney to make it fair. Do you think that’s what Romney would have done if the situation had been reversed?
“This guy is like that energizer bunny that everyone hated back in the 80’s. Can this guy just go away. No I am not a McCain fan since he went Global Warming, but the last person we need is the Huckster.”
Carrying a torch for a distant past is not activism, we have two candidates, make a decision.
Can I have a root canal instead? lol.
It's not a question of what the right answer is even though he stated out loud his theory in the form of a question. The question is what I asked in the same post but that you conveniently ignored:
Tell me of what value was it for Huckabee to wonder out loud about another candidate's religion?
I do know how Romney would have handled it. But now that the chips have fallen, I will have to look at both candidates (I vote 22 April) and make a decision. McCain strenght is military experience and foreign affairs. Huckabee’s strength is abortion. I guess the choice will be what is more important American lives or babies. What a choice?????
“Can I have a root canal instead? lol.”
No kidding, this is not our year.
“Tell me of what value was it for Huckabee to wonder out loud about another candidate’s religion?”
Your taboos are bizarre, two religious authors discussing something as simple as religion on a two hour drive is acceptable in my view. Yes that includes a Mormon question arising, especially when a real live Mormon is in the race.
McCain strenght is military experience and foreign affairs. Huckabee’s strength is abortion. I guess the choice will be what is more important American lives or babies. What a choice?????
Without American lives there are no American babies.
“Tell me of what value was it for Huckabee to wonder out loud about another candidate’s religion?”
Liberal journalists had been ripping him to shreds because he refused to say whether he considered Mormonism a cult, as if he was refusing to answer to suggest that it was. Maybe he was trying to hint to the interviewer that his refusal to answer was an act of religious tolerance, not intolerance.
In politics it's called exposing yourself for unnecessary reasons. The fact is not that one can't discuss said subject but the wisdom one shows in choosing what they do or do not discuss/answer. He not only didn't show wisdom, he was dishonest about his intent (just like the Iowa news conference with the negative ad) and then even what he actually had said when called on it.
The bottomline is that you can't answer the question of what benefit it was to ask his rhetorical question no matter if the interview is casual or not.
Just a tip: if you are running for President EVERY word you say can/will be used to judge you in the court of public opinion. Mike's playing dump while being interviewed was dishonest curiosity.
Without American lives there are no American babies.
That’s true. lol.
“McCain strenght is military experience and foreign affairs. Huckabee’s strength is abortion. I guess the choice will be what is more important American lives or babies. What a choice?????”
Congressman Hunter will almost surely have a huge influence on Governor Huckabee’s foreign policy. I don’t trust McCain on foreign policy at all. He’s not stable.
God isn’t going to bless us on an international scale if we continue to slaughter the death-toll equivalent of 9-11 in their mothers’ wombs every single day.
If that was true then he never would have asked his rhetorical question about Mormons and Jesus and Satan. He would have said something to the effect, "I respect people of different religious beliefs and feel that you are free to worship as you please in this country. It would be inappropriate to comment on another candidates religion. I think I'll just talk about mine if I choose and Governor Romney can talk about his if he chooses."
Huckabee asked his question on purpose and just like the NYT, he ran a correction but the inference was already made. If he is going to be goaded by liberal, or what not, journalists into discussing another candidates religion then he can be goaded in other circumstances and thus shows he doesn't have the maturity to be president. One-liners don't cut it - maybe on SNL tomorrow where Mike will be among brethern of liberals - but not on the campaign trail.
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